week 3 part i kyle dewey. overview odds & ends constants errors functions expressions versus...

Week 3 Part IKyle Dewey

Overview

•Odds & Ends

•Constants

•Errors

•Functions

•Expressions versus statements

Pre-Lab

Underflow & Overflow Note

Constants

Constants

•Values which never change

•Specific values are constants

•55

•27.2

•‘a’

•“foobar”

Constants

•Specifically in the program text

•Constant in that 52 always holds the same value

•We cannot redefine 52 to be 53

Symbolic Constants

•Usually when programmers say “constant”, they mean “symbolic constant”

•Values that never change, but referred to using some symbol

•i.e. π (pi - 3.14...)

•Mapping between symbol and value is explicitly defined somewhere

In C

•Use #define

•By convention, constants should be entirely in caps

#define PI 3.14...int x = PI * 5;

Mutability

•Constants are, well, constant!

•Cannot be changed while code runs

#define PI 3.14...PI = 4; // not valid C!

What #define Does

•Defines a text substitution for the provided symbol

•This text is replaced during compilation by the C preprocessor (cpp)

Example #1

#define PI 3.14...int x = PI * 5;

Code

int x = 3.14 * 5;After

Preprocessor

Example #2

Code

3.14 = 4;After

Preprocessor

#define PI 3.14...PI = 4;

Best Practices

•Generally, all constants should be made symbolic

•Easier to change if needed later on

•Gives more semantic meaning (i.e. PI is more informative than 3.14...)

•Possibly less typing

Errors

Errors•Generally, expected result does not

match actual result

•Four kinds of errors are relevant to CS16:

•Syntax errors

•Linker errors

•Runtime errors

•Logic errors

Errors


•Syntax errors

•Linker errors

•Runtime errors

•Logic errors

Syntax Error

•A “sentence” was formed that does not exist in the language

•For example, “Be an awesome program” isn’t valid C

Syntax Error

•Easiest to correct

•Compiler will not allow it

•*Usually* it will say where it is exactly

On Syntax Errors

•...sometimes the compiler is really bad at figuring out where the error is

#include <stdio.h>int main() { printf( "moo" ) printf( "cow" ); return 0;}

Reality


•Missing semicolon at line 4

GCC


syntax.c: In function ‘main’:syntax.c:5: error: expected ‘;’ before ‘printf’

Ch


ERROR: multiple operands together ERROR: syntax error before or at line 5 in file syntax.c ==>: printf( "cow" ); BUG: printf( "cow" )<== ???

The Point

•Compilers are just other programs

•Programs can be wrong

•Programs are not as smart as people

Errors


•Syntax errors

•Linker errors

•Runtime errors

•Logic errors

Recall Linking

1: somethingFromHere();2: somethingFromElsewhere();3: somethingElseFromHere();

somethingFromHere

somethingElseFromHere

somethingFromElsewhere

Recall Linking

somethingFromHere

somethingElseFromHere

somethingFromElsewhere

Linker Errors

•What if somethingFromElsewhere is nowhere to be found?

•Missing a piece

•Cannot make the executable

Example

int something();int main() { something(); return 0;}

•int something(); tells the compiler that something exists somewhere, but it does not actually give something

Example

int something();int main() { something(); return 0;}

Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64: "_something", referenced from: _main in ccM6c8aW.old: symbol(s) not found for architecture x86_64

Errors


•Syntax errors

•Linker errors

•Runtime errors

•Logic errors

Runtime Errors

•Error that occurs while the code is running

•Compilation and linking must have succeeded to get to this point

Examples

•Overflow

unsigned char x = 255;x = x + 1;

•Underflow

unsigned char x =0;x = x - 1;

Examples•Divide by zero (especially for

integers!)

unsigned int x = 5 / 0;

•Wrong printf placeholder

printf( “%s”, 57 );

Errors


•Syntax errors

•Linker errors

•Runtime errors

•Logic errors

Logic Errors

•It works!

•...but it doesn’t do what you wanted

•Like getting the wrong order at a restaurant

Examples

•Transcribed an equation incorrectly

•Using the wrong variable

•Lack of understanding of problem

•etc. etc. etc...

Logic Errors

•By far, the most difficult to debug

•It might be done almost correctly

•This is why testing is so important!

FunctionsDivide and Conquer Revisited

Divide and Conquer

•Break a problem down into distinct subproblems, solve them individually, and finally combine them

Divide and Conquer

ProgramProgram

Input

Output

Divide and Conquer

SubprograSubprogram 1m 1

Input

OutputSubprograSubprogra

m 2m 2

Output / Input

Divide and Conquer

Input

OutputSubprograSubprogra

m 2m 2

Subprogram Subprogram AA

Subprogram Subprogram BB Output / Input

Input and Output•Intentionally left ambiguous

•This general model is widely applicable

ProgramProgramInput Output

Relation to Functions

•Consider the function printf

printfprintf

Formatting string,variables to print

Something on theterminal

printf Function

printf( “%i\n”, myInteger )

printfprintf

“%i\n”

myInteger

<<myInteger on the terminal>>

Functions

•A way of breaking down programs into (more or less) independent units

•Can be tested individually

•Easier to think about

Function Input / Output

•Input: parameters (more on this later)

•Output: return value

Functions

Input

OutputFunction CFunction C

Function AFunction A

Function BFunction B Output / Input

FunctionsInput

OutputFunction CFunction C

Function AFunction A

Function BFunction B Output / Input

functionC( functionA( Input ), functionB( Input ) )

Using Functions in C

•Function names have the same rules as variables

•Functions are called like so:

noArguments();printf( “hi” );printf( “%i”, myInteger );

Making Functions in C

•Function definition template (p = parameter):

returnType functionName(p1,p2,...,pN) { // function body}

Returning

•Functions can optionally return values using the return reserved word

•This is a special output mechanism

Examplesint toSecondPower( int number ) { return number * number;}

double doubleIt1( double number ) { return number + number;}

double doubleIt2( double number ) { return number * 2;}

Bigger Example

int craziness( double number ) { int x = (int)(number * 2); double y = x + 2; int z = (int)(y * y) + x; return z;}

Question

•Return type doesn’t match what’s returned

•What happens?

int mismatch( double number ) { return number;}

Answer•Treated as a cast to the return type

int mismatch( double number ) { return number;}

int main() { // prints out 5 printf( “%i\n”, mismatch( 5.5 ) ); return 0;}

Question

•Two returns - What happens?

int craziness2( double number ) { int x = (int)(number * 2); return x; double y = x + 2; int z = (int)(y * y) + x; return z;}

Answer•Functions can return at most once

•Everything past the first one is ignored

int craziness2( double number ) { int x = (int)(number * 2); return x; double y = x + 2; int z = (int)(y * y) + x; return z;}

Question•There is no explicit return

•What happens?

int craziness3( double number ) { int x = (int)(number * 2); double y = x + 2; int z = (int)(y * y) + x;}

Answer

•It will return something...but who knows what

•Undefined behavior

•gcc will give a warning if given the -Wall flag

gcc -Wall myProgram.c

“May Return”

•Functions don’t necessarily need to return values

•Can still be useful

void Return Type

•If a function has a return type of void, this mean it does not return anything

int globalVariable = 0;

void incrementGlobal() { globalVariable++;}

void and Return

•return can still be used with void functions

•Simply ends the execution of the function

•Important in discussing control flow

void something() { return;}

Question

•Returning something with void

•What happens?

void function() { return 5;}

Answer

•Nothing is returned

•gcc gives a warning about this

void function() { return 5;}

Function Prototypes

•Needed to tell the compiler a function exists

•Without them, functions have to be ordered carefully or the compiler can get confused

Without Prototypesvoid something() { return;}

int getFive() { something(); return 5;}

•Compiles fine

Without Prototypesint getFive() { something(); return 5;}


prototypes.c:6: warning: conflicting types for ‘something’prototypes.c:2: warning: previous implicit declaration of ‘something’ was here

Function Prototypes

•Look just like the definition, but they lack a body

returnType functionName(p1,p2,...,pN);

Prototype Exampleint getFive();void something();

int getFive() { something(); return 5;}


•Compiles fine

Parameters Revisited

int addTen( int input ) { return input + 10;}

...

addTen( 5 );

Parameters Revisited

int addTen( int input ) { return input + 10;}

...

addTen( 5 );

Formal Parameter

Actual Parameter

Putting it All Together

Example

•A program reads in a signed integer

•The program adds 50 to the integer

•The program prints the result out to the user

•functionExample.c

week 3 part i kyle dewey. overview odds & ends constants errors functions expressions versus...

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